Food Fight the Movie

I caught Food Fight at the Projecting Change film festival this weekend and have to say I was a little disappointed.

The film contained some great background info on the politics of food production in the US and was a who’s who of high profile food advocates like Michael Pollan and Alice Waters. But somehow I was ultimately left feeling not quite satisfied.

More time was spent interviewing apparently famous chefs (I wouldn’t know) running high end restaurants, and less on the actual fight we have on our hands to get a hold of fresh, local food. I agree chefs are great advocates of the movement, but it felt a little as though if you don’t dine at high end restaurants, you’re out of luck.

I would have liked to know more about the regulations that ensure the continued plight of farmers, what we can do to influence change, and how eating local can help farmers in the “food fight.” (The film Tableland does a good job of adding some perspective on that issue.)

All in all Food Fight contained some great insight into the food industry machine that keeps our shelves stocked with a wide variety of tasteless, un-nutritional food and limits our access to alternatives. I just left a little hungry for more substance.